--- includes/common.inc
+++ includes/common.inc
@@ -5084,6 +5088,36 @@ function drupal_cron_cleanup() {
 }
 
 /**
+ * recusive function to find listing paths from profiles and thier parents
+ *
+ * @param string $profile
+ *   the name of the profile to search
+ * @param string $directory 
+ *   The subdirectory name in which the files are found. For example,
+ *   'modules' will search in sub-directories of the top-level /modules
+ *   directory, sub-directories of /sites/all/modules/, etc.
+ * @param array $searchdir 
+ *   the searchdir already found and to which to add before returning
+ *
+ * @return array
+ *   an array of paths that should be searched.  Starting with param $searchdir and any 
+ *   items added from the profile and parents
+ */
+function drupal_system_listing_profile($profile, $directory, $searchdir = array()) {
+  $info  = drupal_parse_info_file("profiles/$profile/$profile.info");
+  if(isset($info['parents'])) {
+    foreach($info['parents'] as $parent) {
+      $searchdir = drupal_system_listing_profile($parent, $directory, $searchdir);
+    }
+  }
+  if (file_exists("profiles/$profile/$directory")) {
+    $searchdir[] = "profiles/$profile/$directory";
+  }
+  
+  return $searchdir;
+}
+
+/**
  * Returns information about system object files (modules, themes, etc.).
  *
  * This function is used to find all or some system object files (module files,
@@ -5143,9 +5177,7 @@ function drupal_system_listing($mask, $directory, $key = 'name', $min_depth = 1)
   // themes as organized by a distribution. It is pristine in the same way
   // that /modules is pristine for core; users should avoid changing anything
   // there in favor of sites/all or sites/<domain> directories.
-  if (file_exists("profiles/$profile/$directory")) {
-    $searchdir[] = "profiles/$profile/$directory";
-  }
+  $searchdir = drupal_system_listing_profile($profile, $directory, $searchdir);
 
   // Always search sites/all/* as well as the global directories
   $searchdir[] = 'sites/all/' . $directory;