As a result of the western land boom during 1903-1905, Groom was among the first of the rural Catholic parishes to be settled.  The first families came from a small settlement of German families near Creston, Iowa.

The first to buy land near Groom in 1905 were Matthew, John, and Nicholas Britten.  The following year, Nicholas Bohr, Frank Bohr, Michael Britten, Sr., and Michael Britten, Jr. purchased farms. Father C.G. Lindeman of Clarendon was informed of the families that settled here.  Thery were in need of a priest to guide them in constructing their own church.

Father Lindeman celebrated the first Mass on April 4, 1907 in the home of Nicholas Bohr.  All of the first settlers were present.  During this first Mass, he took up a collection for the building of a church.  The collection exceeded $500.  Theodore Conrad secured the donation of one-half block of land from Mrs. E.E. Wilkerson on June 24, 1907.  A year later, on July 26, 1908, Father Lindeman dedicated the first church.  It was finished and paid for.

Matthew Britten donated a plot of land north of town for a parish cemetery in 1911.  At the close of the year, the parish had pledged $2,250 for the construction of a new church.

On June 4, 1912, Bishop Patrick Lynch of the Diocese of Dallas visited the parish for the first time, conferring the Sacrament of Confirmation on a class of 41, of whom 18 were from the surrounding parishes.  

The new church, valued at $4,500, was completed in March of 1913 and blessed by Bishop Lynch on March 2, 1914.  The old church had been torn down, and a rectory was built from the lumber.  Father Lindeman came to Groom as its first resident pastor and stayed until 1916.

The rest of the block on which the church stands was purchased in 1915.

In 1929, the parish built a four-room parochial school, which was staffed by Sisters of Mercy.  A building was purchased for a convent for the Sisters across the street, west of the school.

In 1952, the old school building was torn down to make room for a new one.  Modern classrooms and a gymnasium/cafeteria were erected.  Classes continued with eight grades until May of 1967, then with six grades until the parochial school's final closing in May, 1968.

By the 1960's, the frame church, which had seemed so large fifty years earlier, was too small for the congregation, and plans were begun for a new brick church, which was completed in 1965. The new church was made possible to a great extent by a legacy from Anna Altepeter.  Her husband, George, and only child, George, Jr. having preceeded her in death, she left her entire estate to charity and the Church.  This, plus the generous sacrifices of the parishioners, made the new Church possible.  The new church was a pastor's dream, being equipped with plenty of seating, a very attractive interior, and lots of storage space.  Bishop Lawrence J. Defalco dedicated this church to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.  Meanwhile, the old building was moved to Memphis, Tx, where it serves today as Sacred Heart Church.  It can be seen across the tracks from the highway and a visit shows it to be a credit to the early parishioners of Groom, many of whose names can still be seen on the stained glass windows.

  

In 1989, The church became home to a beautiful Allen organ, purchased in large part due to a generous donation by Mrs. Curtis K. Hankamer in grateful memory of William Louis Kuehler and Dorothy Katherine Bohn Kuehler.

The school building, which had remained relatively untouched since the late 1960s, was remodeled between 1995-1998.  The parish hall houses classrooms for Christian Formation classes from kindergarten through twelfth grade, along with adult education classes.  More renovations came when the kitchen received a complete remodeling in 2002.

In 2005, a beautiful new fence was erected, surrounding the Catholic cemetery.  

Beautiful trees were also planted at this time, sprucing up the grounds around the church.

In recent years there has been much discussion concerning whether the old school/parish hall should be further remodeled or replaced.  In 2015, the decision was made following a large donation from the Tom and Doris Britten family.  The parish decided to move forward in building a new hall.  Plans were drawn up, pledges were made, and work began on this new project.  The dated parish hall was demolished in the winter of 2015.  A ground breaking ceremony was held by Bishop Patrick J. Zurich of the Diocese of Amarillo.  Construction on the new building was begun in the spring of 2016, with a projected completion by December of 2016.  (Follow the progress on the Church Hall page which is coming soon!)

Priests who have served our parish include:
     Father C.G. Lindeman   1911-1917
     Father Ferdinand Schiessl    1917-1922   
     Father Cyril Buotich    1922-1923
     Father F.J. Herkert    1923-1927 & 1933-1934
     Father F.X. Pruss    1928-1933
     Father Rubert Schindler    1934-1936
     Father Arnold Boeding  1938-1942  
     Father J.A. LaHive    1942-1943
     Father Norbert Wagner    1943-1946
     Father Andrew Quante    1946-1959
     Father J. Arnold Carlson    1959-1981
     Monsignor Kevin Hand    1981-1986
     Father Richard Neyer   1986-1995
     Father Ted Podson    1995
     Father Raymond Crosier    1995-1998
     Rev. G. Neal Dee  1998-2002
     Father Jose Palathara    2002-2007
     Father Raj Samala    2007-present          

Our church stands as a monument, not only for the cares of the people, but also as a thanksgiving to the Immaculate Heart of Mary for persevering in our parish, the lives of all the boys and girls that were baptized in the two previous churches, that not one was lost in World War I, World War II, or the conflict in Korea.  We are eternally grateful to our dedicated clergy, priests and sisters, and to the pioneering spirits of those who have gone before us.  

The people of the parish are justly proud of the long history of devotion and hard work, as well as the tradition that has brought us through so much together.  This continuity has brought Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish to its present size of about 90 households.  May we never take for granted the magnitude of faith we have received from our predecessors as we continue to celebrate over 100 years of unity in our parish!