Scholarship background
The Trustees of Muhammad Subuh Foundation (MSF) in July of 2025 established an Education Support Fund. This Fund was created by Lucian and Hannah Parshall to honor Lucian’s mother Loretta.
Its purpose being: “To provide financial support through a Loretta Parshall Scholarship Program for the educational needs of students throughout the Worldwide Subud Community.”
The Loretta Parshall Scholarship Program is administered by Susila Dharma International Association (SDIA). Dividends from the Education Support Fund held by MSF will sustain the scholarship program in perpetuity. SDIA has established an online application procedure and a review team to manage the scholarship awards.
These scholarships will assist students throughout our Subud Community in recognizing their right field of study and realizing their true talent. Students at all levels, from pre-school to high school, are eligible. Students must be active members or in the family lineage of a Subud member.
The Education Support Fund and Loretta Parshall Scholarship Program were set up to honor my mother, Loretta Parshall (1915-2011), a first-generation immigrant. While she never graduated from High School, she always stressed the importance of attaining a good education to her six sons and daughter, as well as her 38 grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
My father named me after his father, who died a few months before I was born. When I explained Subud to both my parents and changing my name to ‘Lucian’, the name Bapak provided, my father was understandably very upset. He never accepted Subud and saw my name change as a snub. However, my mother said she wanted to experience the latihan immediately. She was always open to the worship of God in any way.
Loretta lived in a small rural area of the Finger Lakes in upstate New York. Fortunately, Malinda Klafter, also an isolated member, lived somewhat nearby in Rochester, NY. She opened her. Loretta was 63 years old at the time. Essentially, only able to do latihan on and off with Malinda, or with my wife Hannah when we visited and later with our Subud sister, Jasmin Webb. By great fortune Jasmin had reason to visit the Finger Lakes regularly to check on her own mother, who had a summer cottage just four miles from Loretta. Mashallah.
The number of members in Subud USA that knew Loretta could be counted on one hand. Yet she would do latihan for over 30 years till her passing at age 96, always pressing the value of a good education on her descendant’s.
In my grade school years, I had to walk a mile or so every morning to a Catholic School. My mother would always stand by the front door with her parting words to me, “Walk with God.” I never realized how profound those words were till I found the latihan.
Lucian Parshall
Thank you for your interest in donating to either the Education Support Fund (ESF) managed by the Muhammad Subuh Foundation (MSF) or the Loretta Parshall Scholarship Program (LPSP) administered by Susila Dharma International Association (SDIA).
How it works: the initial capitalization of the ESF is targeted to produce an annual dividend into perpetuity. The dividends from the ESP are then transferred to SDIA for the scholarship awards.
• When you make a donation through SDIA to the Loretta Parshall Scholarship Program your funds are used immediately for grants to Subud students.
• When you make a donation through MSF your funds go into a long-term Education Support Fund and are invested by the Foundation in low growth, high dividend equities.
If you wish to know more about the giving and investments, contact Lucian Parshall at lucian.parshall@gmail.com